Saturday 31 May 2014

happy (belated) birthday, chellie.

on may 22nd, my eldest sister chellie celebrated her birthday.
she decided to throw an all white backyard garden party to celebrate her special day.
it was fun catching up with old friends and there was even a henna artist in attendance.

random snapshots:

beautiful cake designed by ahlem of rosalina's cakes
the shoe is edible.







  *please excuse my torn up socklette.

"and those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane
by those who could not hear the music."


all in all, it was a great afternoon - happy birthday, chellie!

:)
vanessa

Wednesday 28 May 2014

wise word wednesday - maya angelou edition


(1928 - 2014)

when i got to work this morning, i was greeted with the sad news of maya angelou's passing.
i was introduced to the works of ms. angelou as a child and have always looked to her as a source of inspiration.

she defied all odds - a childhood victim of rape who later performed at strip clubs to support herself and her child went on to become a legend in every sense of the word.
a singer, dancer, professor, emmy-nominated actress and nobel laureate,  her talent knew no bounds.
like many, i will mourn her passing but i can't help but think of chuck palahniuk's words:

"we all die.
the goal isn't to live forever.
the goal is to create something that will."

through her prolific writings and memoirs, i have no doubt that the legacy of ms. angelou will endure forever.
in honor of this extraordinary woman, i'd like to dedicate this week's "wise word wednesday" to dr. maya angelou.
may she rest in paradise.










:)
vanessa

Tuesday 20 May 2014

congratulations lisa & murphy!

on saturday my family and i attended the wedding of my childhood friend, lisa.
i've known lisa forever - she was my first canadian friend - and to see her walk down the aisle in all her bridal glory was a beautiful thing.
i told her i would tear up and tear up i did.
hands down, saturday was the most beautiful and happiest i've ever seen her.
i pray that God may bless this union and grant them a lifetime of love and happiness.
i guess it's up to me now to marry aaron carter...

congratulations lisa and murphy!

random snapshots:

ps. i'm mad i didn't find out about this photo booth earlier in the night...


 i need this sequin curtain in my bedroom.

Wednesday 14 May 2014

wise word wednesday - children's literature

inspired by his little lady's recent blog post, i decided to dedicate this week's WWW to some of my favorite pieces of children's literature.
these are all books that i grew up reading - some by choice, others...not so much.
though they're written by different authors from different walks of life, they all left me with invaluable life lessons that stay with me to this day.

"you have been my friend," replied charlotte, 
"that in itself is a tremendous thing."

"never hurry and never worry!"

"if you choose bad companions, no one will believe
that you are anything but bad yourself."

"always stop to think whether your fun may not be
the cause of another’s unhappiness."

"slow and steady wins the race."

"quality, not quantity."

"i can't go back to yesterday because i was a 
different person then."

"i don't see how he can ever finish, if he doesn't begin."

"i've heard tell that what you imagine sometimes comes true."

"but there was one other thing that the grown ups also knew, 
and it was this: that however small the chance might 
be striking lucky, the chance is there.
the chance had to be there."

"on ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. 
l'essential est invisible pour les yeux."
("it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; 
what is essential is in visible to the eye.")

"c'est le temps que tu a perdu pour ta rose qui 
fait ta rose si importante."
("it is the time you have wasted for your rose that 
makes your rose so important.")

"make sure everything you do is so completely 
crazy, it's unbelievable."

"you have brains in your head and feet in your shoes.
you can steer yourself any direction you choose.
you're on your own.
 and you know what you know.
and YOU are the (one) who'll decide where to go."

"and when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
there are some, down the road between hither and yon, 
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.
but on you will go..."

what were some of your favourite childhood books?
i'd love to hear!

:)
vanessa

Sunday 11 May 2014

happy mother's day :)

just taking the time out to wish a very happy mother's day to my beautiful mother.
for whatever reason, God thought i was deserving enough to be blessed with a mother like mine.
so, special "shout out" to the woman who has both my heart and my back.
love you long time, bernie.
love you long time.

:)
vanessa

Wednesday 7 May 2014

beige daze.

haven't quite mastered this angle just yet...

i've been wanting to do more "outfit of the day" posts but i literally wear the exact same thing every day of the winter.
i kid you not - sweaters, leggings, jeans, socks and boots.
rinse and repeat.

but since the weather in toronto is finally warming up, i've finally been able to switch up my wardrobe a bit.
i've also been listening to a lot of bob marley but i digress.

here is an outfit i wore the other day and thought i'd share :)

sweater - old navy; pants - h & m; shoes - aldo


my "i have no idea what i'm doing" pose.

you can take the girl outta scarborough...

 my "princess assistant" wanted to show off her ootd as well, smh.

:)
vanessa

ps. leighton meester, if for some strange reason you find yourself on this blog, please send me this dress:
k, thanks.
bye.